Pilates – the solution to quick recovery for injured athletes?

KUALA LUMPUR – Could the introduction of pilates in the National Sports Institute’s (NSI) physiotherapy regime be the best solution to effectively prevent injuries and provide quicker recovery for athletes?

Over the course of four days from March 23, NSI organised a workshop entitled “Pilates For Injury Prevention” in collaboration with pilates and fitness studio Ambassador of Love (AOLove).

At the programme’s closing ceremony yesterday, former national bowler Shalin Zulkifli attests to the effectiveness of pilates in injury recovery.

“I have been an athlete for the last 30 years, and during that time, I have had many ups and downs.

“In 2013, I injured my ankle, which prevented me from going to the gym,” she said.

Because of this, she sought out alternative methods to help with her recovery process.

“That’s when I found out about pilates and decided to give it a try in 2015.

“I found it very helpful for me as the workout in pilates is a lot different than traditional exercises in the gym,” said the former Asian number one tenpin bowler.  

She said she experienced the helpful benefits of pilates in her recovery process and wanted to incorporate it into the NSI physiotherapy regime to allow other athletes to benefit from it as well.

“A lot about sports comes down to injury prevention − we get injured because we push our bodies to the maximum and beyond.

“We have a lot of successful athletes here in Malaysia but without a successful sports science team behind them, it would be very difficult for athletes to receive the aid they require,” she added.

Also present at the programme’s closing ceremony was NSI chief executive officer Ahmad Faedzal Md Ramli, who shared his gratitude for incorporating pilates into the NSI physiotherapy regime.

“We are glad to be able to propagate new methods of treatment to our physiotherapists and medical personnel at NSI.

“We strive to be at the forefront of sports medicine in Malaysia, and with pilates, we are able to enhance and strengthen our knowledge by having alternative methods of healing,” he said.

Faedzal added that the staff at NSI will now be better equipped to provide national athletes with improved medical assistance through these alternative treatment methods.

“This is one of our initiatives to help us continue to perform well in the global arena,” he added.

Speaking on the country’s transition into the endemic phase, Faedzal asserted that the sports fraternity must be ready.

As sports medicine is their core business, NSI needs to be able to ensure that Malaysia’s athletes are at their physical best for upcoming competitions.

“This is a good time for us to be learning new knowledge as the Hanoi SEA Games will be our first test.

“The next few months will give us the opportunity to get back into the groove and move forward with optimism,” he said.

Leading the pilates workshop, AOLove pilates and fitness studio founder Elaine Tan hopes the knowledge shared with NSI can produce better results for the athletes.

“This programme is aimed at incorporating pilates principles into sports science to help athletes prevent injuries and improve athletic performance by increasing their movement awareness,” she said.

For now, Elaine said the programme will begin with bowlers, but in the future, she hopes it will be incorporated into other sporting disciplines.

“Different sports require different elements and we need to study those elements together with the coaches and conditioning team,” Elaine added.

At the same time, national diver Datuk Pandelela Rinong’s physiotherapist Thomas Wong echoed Shalin’s confidence in implementing pilates in the recovery process for athletes.

“She would always have chronic lower back pain after each training session,” he said.

After one of Pandelela’s training sessions, Thomas introduced a single session of pilates exercises to help her recover and it produced positive results.

“Just by incorporating some pilates exercises, her pain was drastically reduced and she felt a lot more ready.

“Her muscles were more activated and engaged after the session,” he added.

Meanwhile, NSI also announced that they will be providing the public with the same sports treatment afforded to athletes.

These treatments will be made available in June on Saturdays from 9am to 5pm through online appointments. – The Vibes, March 31, 2022